Ask DrmDestryr #8

DrmDestryr,

What is the best thing to do at the beginning of the game when all of the other players on your team group up in the same lane?  Should I follow the herd or should I go solo?  I usually go solo a different lane in order to maximize xp, but that often puts me is a 1v2 or 1v3 situation and it feels a bit as if I ignoring the team concept.

Alebeard#1345

Dear Alebeard#1345,

Great question! First off, I don’t think it’s ignoring the team concept at all (unless you don’t join group fights to defend your base) and soloing can be a very powerful strategy if implemented well. Though there is no one right answer, let’s go over some options based on hero and map as each hero has different capabilities when soloing and each map offers its own strategy.

Determining Lane by Hero

What type of hero do you play/are you playing? If your answer is a hero that can inflict serious damage on their own (i.e. Witch Doctor, Nova, Demon Hunter), head toward whatever lane you feel is the most strategic because you, my friend, are blessed by the Blizzard Pantheon with the damage output to kill all things with much speed. You still won’t be able to take down two or three heroes by yourself, but you’ll at least be able to do enough damage to keep them from pushing your towers early on (very important if there is a Sgt. Hammer, Murky, or Gazlowe). If you do want to stay with the team, go for it, but keep close watch of the minimap. If any one hero is ignored *cough*murky*cough*, they will deal some serious damage that could cost you the game.

This is not to say the other heroes need to group together at all or can’t defend. They are, however, far better suited to fight in a team dynamic, and there is everything right with this. Without them, team fights are painful, frustrating ordeals (and I’ve been in many).

Determining Lane by Map

Cursed Hollow: I always start mid. This lessens the time it takes for me to join the group fights around the spawned tributes. The faster you can turn a 1v1 into a 2v1, the better chance you’ll have of securing the objective.

Blackheart’s Bay: Unless you are on a team of your friends trying out new strategies, 99% of the time, everyone will rush to get that silly tower in the beginning. Knowing that, it’s pretty important to have everyone there since it will more than likely turn into the first team fight of the game. After that, feel free to go to where the opportunities are.

Dragonshire: The best choice for a mid-defender is a ranged hero because they can interrupt anyone trying to grab the dragon from a safe distance (if the opponents have both shrines). Everyone else should head either top or bottom.

The Haunted Mines: With only two lanes, this one is a free choice and the best for following the team since a lot of damage can be done early on by ambitious merc camp takers. This map is, by far, the most group oriented map (if only for its small size).

Like so many things, the situations will really determine where you should and need to go and getting as much XP as quickly as you can is super important. Don’t be afraid to try out new things since that is how you learn. Stay with the group for a few games and see what happens. Go off on your own to test out your hero’s true potential. After the games, think a bit about what you did and why you did it. Determine if it worked and why or why not. By doing that, you’ll be able to figure out the best ways to build and play your hero. After all, it may be up to you to keep the opponents busy bottom while your team takes advantage of their absence up top.

- DrmDestryr

DrmDestryr,

I’m always targeted in team fights and die quickly. How do I avoid this?

-IWant2Live

Dear IWant2Live,

We’ve all been there. Just this past weekend I had a game where Illidan could not get enough of me, and I died more times than I care to admit (being a proponent of never dying and all).

I realized my mistake was running away. Whenever I found that I was targeted by an opponent or many opponents, I started fleeing in the opposite direction of my team, often leaving myself cornered and ripe for the killing. Now, I will say it can be beneficial to your team to draw off some of the heavy hitters. Buying them time to take down other opponents while one or more are chasing you can give the team the advantage it needs to eradicate the competition and make a strong push.

However, I’m finding the best thing to do is stay in the group, running away only when the fight is clearly lost. Your team can and will protect you. They will buff you. They will deal area effect damage. They will heal you. Combined, the force is unstoppable. Plus, when grouped up, you are harder to target and harder to keep track of. I know how tempting it is as a ranged assassin to always stay on the outskirts, but if you stay too far back, there is a clear flag on your head marking you as an easy target.

Never be the victim.

-DrmDestryr

Ask DrmDestryr is your weekly Q&A/advice column for Heroes of the Storm. Have a question for DrmDestryr? E-mail her your mental musings at drmdestryr@gmail.com or send happy twoughts her way @DrmDestryr.

Ask DrmDestryr #7

DrmDestryr,

I'm never where I need to be. How do I position myself better?

- Left_Right

Dear Left_Right,

You are not alone. This is a very common occurrence for new players. The simple answer is “minimap.” I know I’ve mentioned this fabled map in time before, but let’s actually go over it.

This map is located in the bottom right corner of the game screen. As the name implies, it is a miniature version of the map – one so small you can see everything without needing to scroll. If you click on the map, your camera will immediately shoot you to that position. It also denotes mercs, objectives, and hero positions. You are always able to see your fellow heroes and can only see the enemy when they are engaged with something on your team (creeps, towers, etc.) unless, of course, they can cloak.

Now, what does this have anything to do with the game? First of all, you can immediately know where your team is and how many opponents they are up against. Secondly, you can immediately know if there are any spawned, open merc camps. Thirdly, you can immediately know where the objectives have spawned or their progress. All three are critical to in game dominance. Intelligence is key to victory.

So we understand the minimap and its benefits. How do you use this to be in the right place at the right time? To simplify down to the nth degree, the absolute most basic way is to watch the map for unfair fights. If you are top and there is a two on three fight going on mid (with your team at the disadvantage), jump on your horse and ride down there. In general, the two will not be able to defeat the three. By heading down there, you are providing much needed support and relief for your team. Other situations to look out for are unfair fights in your team’s favor, all five enemies pushing a lane together, or three of your teammates headed in the same direction.

Are there any heroes that can help with this? There are heroes with a teleport ability (Brightwing and Falstad, for instance), and this can help you immediately jump to a group fight if you are slow on the uptake, but you have to remember to keep practicing your minimap. A good hero does not need teleport to be where they need to.

- DrmDestryr

DrmDestryr,

Muradin seems cool. What do I do with him?

-Dwarf4Life

Dear Dwarf4Life,

If you like tanks that have an escape mechanism, you’ll love Muradin. He’s small, and he’s feisty. Akin to my own temperament, Muradin is best played extremely aggressively and, if done correctly, never has to head back to base to heal. Muradin has this lovely little ability known as Second Wind that, while not taking damage, heals you. I learned that you can fight creeps and still maintain the health regen so long as they don’t target you (a simple enough task).

As far as combinations of attacks on a single hero, I like to Dwarf Toss myself in, Thunderclap to immediately slow them when they try to run, and finish it with a lovely Stormhammer to stun. This allows your teammates time to deal the killing blow or, if they aren’t around, strike the fear of Thor into an enemy. Never underestimate the power of fear. Also, Dwarf Toss is one of the best escape abilities for tanks. You can jump out of an encirclement of enemies and immediately rush back toward them with your team (often times enemies work to cut you off from the team, and the more you can avoid this, the better off you’ll be).

For Muradin’s heroic abilities, the choice lies with you. If you choose avatar, you can charge into a group fight and transform, stunning enemies left and right. Haymaker is the trickier of the two as it can be both good and bad. If used correctly, it can push a harmful enemy away or knock an easy kill back toward your team. Either way, it requires practice for the Haymaker to resemble an ability that is truly Heroic.

-DrmDestryr

Ask DrmDestryr is your weekly Q&A/advice column for Heroes of the Storm. Have a question for DrmDestryr? E-mail her your mental musings at drmdestryr@gmail.com or send happy twoughts her way @DrmDestryr.